Polish Economic Chamber of Renewable and Distributed Energy (PIGEOR)
The Polish Economic Chamber of Renewable and Distributed Energy (Polska Izba Gospodarcza Energetyki Odnawialnej i Rozproszonej, PIGEOR) was established on 12th October 2004. On 30th November 2004, the Chamber had entered into the National Court Register, thus obtaining legal personality. The Chamber is an organisation of economic self-government, established under the Act on Chambers of Commerce of 30th May 1989.
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- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Renewable Energy
- Market Focus:
- Nationally (across the country)
- Year Founded:
- 2004
About Us
PIGEOR is an organisation representing the companies operating on the market of renewable energy sources (RES) in Poland. It is the biggest non-governmental organisation, which actively represents the interests of its associated members in Poland, acting in individual fields of energy from renewable sources:
- wind power
- biomass and biofuels
- biogas
- hydropower
- solar energy
- geothermal energy and heat pumps.
PIGEOR members represents professional associations, machinery and component manufacturers, training companies and consultancy firms, contractor and installation companies, entities financing investments as well as domestic and foreign investors who prepare and execute projects involving use of renewable sources for energy production.
On this occasion, it is worth to emphasize the first investment successes achieved by our member companies in relation to the carried out investments. The first wind farm in Poland with installed capacity of 18 MW, which is still operational, was constructed in 2001 in Cisowo and it is owned by the company Energia-Eco. The biggest farm is located in the Margonin commune. It has a capacity of 120 MW and it is owned by EDP Renewables, another member company. PIGEOR members have conducted many investments, also in the hydropower, biomass and biogas sectors, as well as in heating sector by installing heat pumps and solar collectors.
Our chief assets are dynamic actions and an excellent knowledge of the Polish investment reality. This allows us to solicit legal changes which fulfil investors’ expectations and to raise society’s awareness of emission-free production in distributed sources, involving also the use of pro-consumer technologies.
The main PIGEOR’s activities which are oriented towards development of the renewable energy sector in Poland include:
- Organisation of business meetings
- Widely understood representation of member companies in contacts with (local) government and non-governmental administration
- Lobbying, legislation and consultations for the improvement of investment conditions in all renewable energy sectors
- Promotion of companies and the market
- Support and consultancy
- Monitoring the development conditions for particular technologies using renewable energy sources
- Education
Objectives
The main objectives of the Polish Economic Chamber of Renewable and Distributed Energy include:
- Integration of entrepreneurs operating on the market of energy from renewable sources
- Introduction of transparent and stable regulations on the energy market in Poland
- Introduction of a long-term and guaranteed support scheme for the producers of energy from renewable sources
- Removal or at least reduction of barriers to the development of renewable energy sources and investments in this sector, including the launch of production activities in the sector
- Raising social awareness of technologies using renewable sources for energy production
- Promotion of the market and sector’s machinery, including machinery used by society
- Increase in the production of energy from renewable sources using efficient and distributed sources
- Increase in the diversification of energy production using wind, biomass, biogas, biofuels, water, sun, geothermal resources and heat pumps.
Accomplishment of the objectives is based on dynamic activities of the Chamber including the use of consulting and lobbying tools, and cooperation with government representatives, government and local government administration as well as organisations from Europe, educational and promotional tools and, above all, on the support of investors, producers and companies rendering services on the market of renewable energy sources.
Achievements
The Polish Economic Chamber of Renewable and Distributed Energy, after over 6 years of existence on the market of renewable energy sources, has gained a position of a reliable partner for the government and the Parliament, as well as all national and foreign institutions having influence on the development of the Polish market. At present, we are an umbrella organisation for over 60 companies. The Chamber’s key achievements include the results of legislative works which led to the improvement of legal conditions for investments and business activity and to the removal of barriers. We have also managed to work out many stances, including stances common for the whole renewable energy sector. PIGEOR has conducted numerous promotional and educational campaigns. On the initiative of PIGEOR, in August 2008, the Polish Renewable Energy Coordination Council (Polska Rada Koordynacyjna Odnawialnych Źródeł Energii, PRK OZE) was founded, which unites the sector organisations acting together in key matters for the development of the market of renewable energy sources in Poland.
Selected achievements of PIGEOR’s legislative activities:
- Participation in the amendment to the Energy Law Act of 2005, in 2009/2010 and in 2011 as well as initiatives of amendments to the Energy Law Act adjusting it to the current market reality. Particularly essential solutions include the possibility of obtaining at the same time green certificates and cogeneration quotas for the producers of electric energy in high efficiency units heated with renewable fuels.
- The initiatives of amendments to the Regulations of the Minister of Economy on the detailed scope of obligations with respect to obtaining certificates of origin and submitting them for cancellation for the energy from renewable sources and from cogeneration.
- An amendment to the Construction Law Act relating to the clarification of the term structure in relation to wind power stations and standardization of the taxation rules for wind power stations in the Local and Communal Tax Act.
- An amendment to the Regulation of the Minister of Construction on marking aviation obstacles relating to wind power stations.
- Participation in the works on the system regulation of the Minister of Economy on the balancing of wind energy.
- The initiative of an amendment to the regulation of the Minister of Construction on acceptance for use of boilers for solid biomass in Poland.
- Co-initiation of preparation of the development strategy for agricultural biogas plants in Poland under the following title: “Innovative Power Industry – Energy Agriculture” which was subsequently transformed into an official governmental document as “Trends of the Development of Agricultural Biogas Plants” issued in 2011
- Amendments to two Regulations of the Minister of the Environment enabling the agricultural use of waste resulting from the production of biogas.
- The initiative of establishing a support scheme for biogas entered into the gas network, which would be appropriate to the market conditions, in the form of so-called brown certificates.
- The initiative of creating conditions for the development of agricultural biogas plants through legal changes stipulated in the Programme “Innovative Power Industry – Energy Agriculture”.
- The initiative of making amendments to the Act on fertilizers and fertilization in the scope of utilisation of post-fermentation residues from biogas production for fertilization purposes.
- Numerous initiatives of proposals for the assumptions of the draft Act on Renewable Energy Sources implementing Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
We have conducted numerous consultations of strategic documents and legal acts, in particular:
- The National Renewable Energy Action Plan
- Directions of Development of Agricultural Biogas Plants in Poland between 2010 - 2020.
- The Energy Policy of Poland until 2025 and until 2030.
- Implementation Programme for the Energy Policy for Poland.
- The National Development Plan and the National Cohesion Strategy for the years 2007
- The “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the years 2007-2013.
- The Guidelines of the Ministry of Regional Development on the implementation of the Operational Programme “Infrastructure and Environment”.
- Opinion of the government on the Green Paper of the European Union and the package of directives „3x20”
- Directions for Development of Agricultural Biogas Plants in Poland between 2010-2020 (Innovative Power Industry – Energy Agriculture).
- Directives of the European Parliament and of the Council.
- European Council regulations.
- Acts and executive regulations to acts concerning the market of energy from renewable sources.
We have received numerous interpretations of respective organs, which were favourable for entrepreneurs,including the interpretations of:
- The Ministry of Finance on real property tax in relation to wind farms.
- The Ministry of Economy and the Energy Regulatory Office on obtaining certificates of origin for the energy which is produced in RES and not introduced to the grid/network but used for entrepreneurs’ own purposes.
- The President of the Public Procurement Office on not qualifying RES investments as sector procurements.
- Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Management on technical requirements for agricultural structures and on their location.
We have organized numerous conferences and seminars as well as educational activities, including:
- Two editions of Renewable Energy International Fair and Congress “Green Power”.
- Competitions checking the knowledge about renewable energy sources among pupils and students.
- Initiating, in cooperation with Łazarski University and the Military University of Technology, post-graduate studies on “Renewable Energy Projects - Investments and Management”.
Core Activities
The scope of PIGEOR activities are determined first of all by the Articles of Association. The Chamber was founded to support and represent its member companies. For that reason all carries out its the activities and actions primarily for the benefit of its members.
General activities includes:
- Monitoring legal and administrative regulations regarding the renewable power industry (RES) at the national and community level and worldwide
- Initiating legislative changes which are favourable for the sector and conducting consultations about adopted legal acts and strategic documents in the field of power industry
- Promoting the Polish renewable energy market
- Promoting PIGEO on the domestic and international market as an umbrella organisation for the most active and reliable enterprises of the market in Poland
- Conducting educational activities directed at all the participants of the renewable power industry market
- Preparing expert opinions and studies on the RES market in Poland, also for international projects
Detailed consulting and lobbying activities:
1. Systemic issues
- participation in actions aimed at implementation of the climate and energy package in national legislation, taking into account in particular the transposition of the provisions of Directive 2009/28/EC in the Renewable Energy Sources Act, which was announced by the government
- Propagation of the development scenarios of individual RES technologies, which were drawn up by PIGEO, and lobbying for the benefit of the Chamber’s proposal in newly created and amended legal acts
- Cooperation with the Polish Renewable Energy Coordination Council and with the representatives of the Government through consultations
- Cooperation with the European Commission, which is monitoring the implementation of EU regulations in individual member countries
- Cooperation with European associations such as EREF, EWEA and EREC in order to increase the implementation of common reports, which include directions for the future use of renewable sources.
- Implementation and execution of the Operational Programme „Infrastructure and Environment”
- Expert cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Regional Development, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej, NFOŚiGW) during the acceptance and selection of projects for co-financing
- Expressing opinions about the regulations and guidelines for applications for the co-financing of investments using renewable sources
- Information meetings and workshops for members of the Chamber on preparing applications for raising financial support for investments
- Activities for the development of the market of machinery for the RES sector
- Further cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Regional Development on the preparation of the sector’s development strategy
- Search for investors interested in the production of RES machinery in Poland
- Taking the initiative to classify renewable energy investments as public purpose investments, in order to facilitate legislative procedures
- Taking the initiative to create funds of small subsidies for individual investments in small capacity RES facilities (solar collectors, heat pumps, biomass boilers, windmills) for the needs of individual households
- Sanctioning the possibility of combining the certificates of origin of energy from renewable sources with the certificates of origin from high-efficiency cogeneration for biogas and biomass installations
- Taking actions aimed at the inclusion of grid investments concerning RES connections in investment plans of distribution companies
- Taking the initiative of allocating the funds from substitution fees, which are accumulated at the NFOŚiGW (the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water) subfund, to the financing of RES connection investments
- Taking actions aimed at achieving the stability of the support system and its diversification
- Taking actions for the creation of long-term support for the production of energy from renewable sources using the co-generation process
2. Elimination of investment barriers to individual sources
- Wind power industry
- Promotion of a guidebook for investors: “Assessment of the environmental risk accompanying investments in wind power industry” among entrepreneurs and public officials. Securing acceptance for this document on the part of environmental organisations and the Minister of the Environment. Attempting to sanction the suggested solutions in the form of guidelines of the Ministry of the Environment.
- Preparing promotional materials including an objective presentation of the operations of wind turbines
- Balancing– cooperation with the Transmission System Operator (OSP), the Distribution System Operator (OSD) and the Energy Regulatory Office (URE) during the implementation of the new balancing rules. Lobbying for the extension of the application of favourable balancing rules of windmills until 2020.
- Connection to the grid – lobbying at the governmental and parliamentary levels for the benefit of legislative solutions aimed at unfreezing access to the grid and creating rational rules of applying for connections by new RES undertakings.
- Cooperation with the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury in order to develop the rules for leasing agricultural areas used for wind investments
- Taking actions aimed at establishing clear and investor-friendly rules of completion of offshore investments on the Baltic Sea
- Power industry with the use of biomass and biogas
- Attempting to implement a model project of a Regional Energy Biomass Exchange. Promotion of Exchanges among national and local authorities.
- Limiting and blocking the support for high capacity co-combustion (without co-generation) – taking the initiative of an amendment to the Regulation of the Minister of Economy which classifies co-combustion as RES. Attempting to block the support for co-combustion from national funds. A campaign informing about harmfulness of co-combustion has been directed at decision-makers.
- Taking actions aimed at limiting the possibilities of using forest biomass, except for forest waste, for energy purposes.
- Initiating the work on standards concerning the fuels classified as biomass, classification of waste which may be used as biomass for energy purposes and machinery requirements as well as the possibilities of their “thermal treatment”.
- Taking actions aimed at the facilitation of the utilization process of post-fermentation residues used in the fertilization process
- Promoting high-efficiency co-generation with the use of biomass and biogas
- Hydropower industry
- initiating a substantive debate on the needs and possibilities of creating large hydropower industry facilities in Poland
- taking actions aimed at developing a friendly policy of water facility management for energy purposes
- blocking amendments to acts which would introduce charges for using water for energy purposes
- Promoting actions aimed at investments in small hydropower industry facilities
- Heat pumps, geothermal and solar energy
- Suggesting an initiative to create a preferential tariff for electricity used for the purposes of heat pumps
- Promotion of geothermal energy, heat pumps and solar power industry through workshops for journalists and public officials
- Initiating support in the form of national and EU resources for the purchase of machinery used in public utility and residential buildings.
- Soliciting the introduction of tax preferences for the purchase of RES machinery.
Cooperation with local governments
- Initiating regional meetings with the representatives of voivodeship, marshal, county and communal offices on the issues of renewable energy development, investments, creating energy strategies, raising funds for investments, etc.
- Participation in the works on the implementation of Regional Operating Programmes (RPOs) in individual voivodeships.
- Searching for local governments willing to implement the project of energy biomass exchanges.
- Searching for communal self-governments willing to comprehensively develop the renewable power industry in their area.
International cooperation
1. Legislative and political issues
- Lobbying for the determination of additional renewable energy share targets reaching beyond the year 2020
- Active participation in discussions regarding the possibility of faster transposition of the regulations of the climate and energy package
- Cooperation with foreign partners within and outside Europe in order to take advantage of model system solutions for supporting the development of the RES market in Poland and to use their experience in introducing appropriate solutions on the Polish market
- Promotion of the Polish renewable energy market in Europe and in the world.
These actions will be conducted in particular through:
- Cooperation with European institutions, and particularly with the European Commission
- Cooperation within the framework of the European Renewable Energies Federation uniting producers and organisations acting for the development of RES in Europe
- Cooperation with Members of the European Parliament and Polish MPs, members of EUFORES – the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources
- Organization of the International Renewable Energy Fair “Green Power” as well as Green Power Congress
- Cooperation within the framework of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), the European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF) and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC),
- Joining the European Biogas Association
- Bilateral meetings with foreign partners
2. Cooperation with foreign investors
- Encouraging foreign companies to invest on the Polish market and cooperate with PIGEO members
- Assistance in finding business partners in Poland
- Offering consultations about investments on the Polish renewable energy market.
These actions will be conducted in particular through:
- Organization of seminars for Foreign Investors’ Managemen
- Preparation of offers for foreign investors as an introduction to the establishment of Investor Service Centre.
- Ongoing cooperation with the representatives of bilateral chambers of commerce and industry as well as the representatives of commercial departments of embassies.
- Participation in international renewable energy fairs: (Green Power, POLEKO – Poznań, ENEX New Energy – Kielce, international fairs)
Support and services for investors
- Searching for business partners for members of the Chamber.
- Integration of the entrepreneurs united within the Chamber.
- Promotion Chamber members at domestic and foreign fairs.
- Organising consulting support for investors with regard to environmental impact assessments, investment location conditions, financial engineering with the participation of public funds, in particular those from the Cohesion Fund and NFOŚiGW (the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water).
- Current analyses of the RES market.
- Offering consultations about interpretations of the energy and environmental protection law provisions.
- Continued development of the website.
- Completion of Investor Service Centre with the use of EU funds within the framework of the Innovative Economy Operational Programme.